The History of Hair Discrimination Against Black Americans Image by Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash. In order to engage in a meaningful conversation of the significance a person’s hair holds, we must begin by understanding the root of hair discrimination. In the fifteenth century, the transatlantic slave trade took place that robbed individuals of their freedom, rich cultures, traditions,…
Tag: Race Relations

Serving a Country That Will Not Accommodate Our Religion: The Sikh American Struggle to Choose Between Career or Faith
If somebody says, ‘I’m willing to die for you by defending my country, my unit,’ we should allow them to keep their articles of faith. Jaskirat Singh The United States Trend of Discrimination Against Sikhs Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, with approximately thirty million followers of the faith worldwide. It is…

THE FAILURE TO REHABILITATE DAMNS YOUTH TO RECIDIVATE
Abstract California’s Juvenile Justice System (“CAJJS”) is a complex network of county and state policies and programs enacted with a rehabilitative purpose intended “[t]o provide opportunities for growth and change by identifying and responding to the unique needs of our youth… through effective treatment, education, and interventions in order to encourage positive lifestyles, reduce recidivism,…

Wrongfully Charged
The Unreasonable Search and Seizure On January 10, 2020, a San Francisco Superior Court judge, at the request of a San Francisco Police officer, issued an arrest warrant in connection with a residential burglary. Mot. Suppress Evid. Off’d Against Def. Prelim. Hr’g, 6:1-2. The warrant listed suspects to be arrested and described a residence in…

Mandatory Minimums Require a Much-Needed Facelift
A PEAK INTO A BROKEN SYSTEM Hamedah Hassan was an overall upstanding member of our society until she became a victim of her extenuating circumstances. When Hamedah was 21 years old, she made a brave choice to flee from an extremely abusive relationship with her two children. At the time, Hamedah’s only option was to…

Social Equity: Will the Cannabis Industry Choose to Overcome Its Lack of Diversity?
Image by Terre Di Cannabis from Pixabay. In the world of legal cannabis, a new phrase has taken over: Social Equity. What does this really mean? Social Equity in the cannabis industry is an attempt to level the playing field for individuals who were negatively impacted by the prohibition of cannabis. Long before the re-legalization…

Constitution-Free Zones: How the Fourth Amendment Rights of Americans are Violated at and Near the Border
A Not So “Welcome Home” on a Scorching Summer Drive Across the Border Imagine driving through miles upon miles of dry, barren, flat roads into Laredo, a border town in southern Texas, on a scorching hot August day. You are returning home after a long trip to Mexico. The car is packed with your belongings.…

More Than a Hashtag: Why We Need to #ProtectBlackWomen in Real Life
The most disrespected person in America is the Black Woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black Woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black Woman.Malcolm X (1962) Photo by Stewart Munro on Unsplash. INTRODUCTION Social media campaigns will tell you to “Protect Black Women,” but rarely is there a serious…

Why we Should Provide More Support for Women of Color in Academia
Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash. My experience as a woman of color in higher education is not unique. In this piece, I will share my own story and discuss challenges women of color face to succeed in academia and how their absence in these spaces negatively affects the success of female students of color.…

What “Good” has Come from the “Good Faith” Exception?
A Wise Justice’s Forewarning Breonna Taylor at a graduation ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky. Source. In 1949, Justice Frank Murphy dissented in the case of Wolf v. Colorado, passionately defending the exclusionary rule. The forward-thinking justice, who was a leading advocate in the fight for racial equality, warned that only by exclusion can we ensure that…